In electronics assembly and manufacturing, a printed circuit board (PCB) is often used to lay down electrical circuits and to provide a base for mounting various types of electronic components. The circuits in the PCBs may comprise electrically conductive pathways traced or etched from conductive material (e.g. copper sheets) onto a non-conductive substrate. Multiple layers of these conductive pathways may be separated by alternating layers of non-conductive substrates in order to form a laminate board that may include many layers of circuits and non-conductive substrates.
In order to connect the circuits in one or more of the conductive layers, via-holes many be drilled into the laminate layers of the PCB. Once the via-hole is formed, the inner walls of the holes are plated with copper or another conductive material such that any overlapping conductive pathways located at the point of the via-hole are electrically connected between layers. The depth of the drilling may be controlled to connect only some of the layers in the PCB, or the via-hole may be drilled through the laminate board to provide an opening from one side of the board to the other.
Components are then placed on the PCB at predetermined connection points provided on the outer surfaces of the PCB in order to build various parts of the circuit required for the designed operation of the electronic device. Generally speaking, electronic components with leads are attached to the PCB at connection points defined by conductive landing pad extensions or connectors provided on the surface of the PCB to receive the component leads. For electronic components that are to be permanently attached to the PCB, the electrical and mechanical connections between the component leads and the conductive landing pad extensions may be made using a suitable soldering paste or compound.
Once a stage of assembly has been completed, an electronic device under test (DUT) may be tested on a testbed to ensure that the electrical connections and pathways have been properly assembled to that point. To ensure a proper test, the testbed must be properly configured.